How do recycling stats stack up for packaging materials?: Page 5 of 7

More than 63% of paper and paperboard materials—including packages such as cartons and boxes—were recovered for recycling in 2013, according to The Paper Recycling Coalition Inc. This number has nearly doubled since 1990.

Access to recycling has helped. According to the Paperboard Packaging Council, 96% of the U.S. population can recycle paper and paperboard through curbside or drop-off recycling programs. The PPC also reports that paper-based packaging accounts for 71% of the nearly 27 million tons of packaging materials recovered for recycling, based on numbers from the EPA.